My week at Kea Artisanal was quickly nearing the end but not before learning how to make and roll phyllo dough. Stamatia, one of Aglaia’s wonderful assistants, is an expert on phyllo dough and patiently helped us each roll out the dough we had prepared. She made it look so easy! I think with many years of daily practice we might “get it” and perhaps be able to make the beautiful paper thin sheets as she did, but in reality, I doubt it! The ones she made were perfectly round, paper thin and made a slightly oily, but crisp crust for the greens pie we made to fill the dough. She was even able to roll three layers at a time by generously oiling each one then stacking and rolling them! That is true talent!

Instead of spinach, as typically seen, the Spanakopita pie we made was filled with various greens that were available and freshly picked. I love that anything you happen to have on hand, Swiss chard, beet greens, dandelion greens or even arugula will make a suitable filling. We also made a cheese and herb pie with an egg custard filling that resembled a flat quiche and some beautiful single serving marinated octopus pies that would be part of our dinner that evening.

While the pies were baking, Costas prepared the fish that we had picked right off of the boat at the port that morning. He wrapped each fish in a fresh fig leaf that had been oiled and placed the entire package on the charcoal grill, cooking it to perfection. The fig leaf provides a crispy, sweet and salty second skin.

After our long, luxurious lunch, we were treated to a tasting of various spoon sweets. We enjoyed the interesting flavors of tomato, walnut, orange, cherry, apple and homemade lemon marmalade served with ice cream and yogurts. Each one was better than the previous one. I especially loved the lemon and the apple sweets.

The afternoon was spent back at the hotel napping by the pool and relaxing before our sunset dinner and drinks at the beach. The sun sets at around 9pm so we were picked up at 7:30 and rode along the winding dirt roads along the narrow cliffs to the beach where we would dine. It was a bit harrowing as the roads are wide enough for only one vehicle and there is nowhere to pull over if you come across another car heading in your direction. One of you must go in reverse back the way you came to allow the other car to pass! There are also no guard rails to be seen and in some spots the road appears to be crumbling down the sides of the cliff. One wrong tire move and I could see the car tumbling off. But for the stunning beauty of the view, it might be worth it! I don’t think I could ever tire of such gorgeous vistas.

Watching the sunset, sitting on the beach, eating the octopus pies, salads, breads and drinking wine was the perfect ending to the week. I could think of nothing I would have preferred doing for my last night on Kea.

The next day, we had a cheese making class in the morning. Myzithra, a Greek ricotta like cheese, is made from goat or sheep’s milk or a combination of the two and fresh cream. It’s simple to make at home and it’s soft, creamy texture goes well with honey, fresh fruits or even sliced tomatoes. We were given a selection of honeys to taste. Some of the varieties sampled included a carob honey which has a slightly nutty, but distinctively chocolate flavor; a chestnut honey, dark, thick and nutty; and my personal favorite, a heather honey. It had a rich floral scent and a strong intense flavor, a rung up from thyme honey which is more commonly found, but also flavorful.

Our farewell lunch was held next door to Aglaia and Costas’ home at Ela’s, Aglaia’s other amazing assistant, and her husband Stathi’s home. Ela served her pickled vegetables, a savory orzo pasta with tomatoes, homemade bread and several salads along with the meal’s highlight, a tender, free-range lamb that Stathi had roasted in a wood fired oven. For dessert, Ela had made a dense, sweet cake filled with walnuts and served it with ice cream. Her adorable children overcame their shyness by the time the ice cream came and joined us.

Soon our taxi’s arrived to take us our hotel to pick up our bags so we could catch the ferry back to the mainland. They say “parting is such sweet sorrow” and I truly felt that way leaving Aglaia’s and Costa’s home. They welcomed us into their lives for the week, and into their home, cooking and sharing meals with them, laughing and telling many stories. It was the best experience I have ever had and I am forever grateful! I can only look forward to the day when I will be able to return.

The next class at Kea Artisanal was one that featured one of my favorite vegetables- garlic! We made a garlic spread called Skordalia. It’s made by combining mashed potatoes, blanched almonds, garlic and yogurt together with olive oil and lemons. It’s a traditional dip used with fried vegetables or as a spread on breads. It’s smooth, garlicky, lemony, tangy and simply delicious. It may be my new favorite condiment. I could easily see this being used instead of horseradish or tartar sauce on fish or meats.

Using the leftover tomato salad from the previous day’s lunch, Aglaia made a type of flat bread based on the traditional Laganes (flat bread) she normally makes. The salad was pureed in the blender and added to the dough instead of water or other liquids. Then, it was topped with cheese, fresh tomatoes and baked. It was very similar to a Ciabatta or Focaccia but was much more dense and crusty.

We also made three other types of Laganes, one with local sausages and cheese and one that was striped with sesame seeds, poppy seeds and red pepper and mahlep and one that was had Za’atar with red pepper flakes.

We then made a delicate batter to coat pieces of vegetables and stuffed beautiful zucchini blossoms with a piece of feta cheese and a sprig of mint to be gently fried and promptly devoured.

Even with all the breads and fried vegetables, it was surprisingly a light lunch, but quite filling!

Of course, the wine was flowing and a nap was definitely in order for the afternoon! This is a lifestyle I could get used to for certain! Traditionally, Greeks eat their largest meal midday then go home to sleep in the afternoon only to awake and have a light dinner at 10pm. The tavernas don’t fill up until nearly 11pm each night and the kids are just going to clubs at 12 or 1am. It’s a great country for night owls.

In the afternoon, after returning to our hotel for our naps, we were picked up for a hike to the archeological site at Karthaea on the southeast coast of the island. The scenery was absolutely stunning and the mountain we climbed down to the sea was actually rather steep.

Normally I would say that one climbs up first then down, but our hike was in reverse and we ended the hike with a challenging uphill climb. I confess that I am embarrassingly and woefully out of shape and without the good graciousness of our guide, Costas, I would still be on the beach at the bottom of the mountain. He carried my bag back up, gave me a walking stick and motivated me all the way with encouraging words. I huffed and puffed all the way up and remarked that when I told Ari I might not return from Greece, I didn’t think it would be because I had died of a heart attack along the way. At the top, I drank nearly a half liter of water in one swallow while Costas was asking who wanted wine! So glad I made it back up that hill!

Then he presented us with a lovely package of what was to be mezze but was really enough to be a full dinner. Legs shaking and catching my breath, I ate heartily a marinated octopus salad, breads we had made earlier and a delicious salad.

The next morning, we were taken to through the Hora, or main town, of Ioulida. Costas guided us through the Archaeological Museum showing us pieces from excavations from around the island, sites such as ancient Karthaea and the prehistoric settlement of Agia Irini were featured. We then walked up to the ancient “smiling lion” that is resting on a hillside just outside of town. No one seems to know who placed it there or how long it’s actually been there (there are some that say it’s as old as 600 B.C.) and it’s been a source of folklore throughout the island for centuries.

After our excursion, we enjoyed a lunch of mezzes and a flavorful fish soup filled with potatoes, carrots and zucchini at a taverna called Magazes in the main port of Korissia. Aglaia has worked with the owners and chefs at this restaurant to ensure that all the ingredients are fresh and never prepackaged. Everything from stocks to sauces and spreads are made on site and you can tell the quality of the dishes is very high. We really enjoyed our meal there.

We spent a little time afterward shopping in the port town and then making our way back to our hotel. I had some time before being picked up again so I went to a church and excavation site at Ayia Irini. The church was locked, but I was able to see a bit of the site and rooms that were being dug.

In the afternoon, we were picked up from our hotels and brought back to Aglaia’s kitchen to make Amygdalota, the traditional flour-less almond cookie of the Cyclades. This delightful cookie has a slight crunch on the outside and is chewy in the middle with the flavor of a macaroon and the texture of an oatmeal cookie. They are addictive and I would suggest making a double recipe!

Our dinner consisted of breads, salads, and vegetables but the highlight of the evening was an olive oil tasting, a cheese tasting, and a red wine tasting! We tasted some everyday olive oils and some oils flavored with lemons and oranges and then some extra virgin oils. Each one was very distinctive in flavor and I loved the Biolea Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil as well as Aglaia’s and Costas’ own pressing.

Greece produces an incredible variety of cheese types and each part of the country has its own recipes and secrets that make their cheese unique and often times, the cheese is made seasonally in small batches for local consumption only. Surprisingly, Greeks currently have the highest per capita consumption of cheese in the world, estimated at 22 kilos per person annually, edging out even the French.

We were excited to try over 15 different types of cheese beginning with some mild varieties and fetas and moving to heavily flavored cheeses. Some of my favorites included Graviera that was aged only 1 year from Naxos and a Kaseri, a creamy, mild, mostly sheep’s milk, semi-hard cheese not too unlike a sharp cheddar. Another one I enjoyed was a Nigella seed studded cheese also from Naxos that was dry and crumbly but had a very floral flavor. There were ones that I didn’t particularly like such as a Manoura Sifno Gylomeni, a full fat sheep’s milk hard cheese aged in wine sediments (Lees) from the island of Sifnos that really had an overpowering pungent flavor. There was also a Melipasto, a sea-washed cheese made on the island of Limnos that had been soaked in honey. The sweetness of the honey didn’t even tame the peppery flavor of this hard cheese. It was really too hot and spicy for my tastes. Artisanal cheeses aside, one of my favorites was the regular packaged feta cheese that we enjoyed every day, Plataion brand, which can be found in the grocery store. It’s mild, not too salty and perfect for just eating with just about everything.

While we were trying cheeses, the red wine was flowing and some lovely varieties passed through our lips. I especially enjoyed the Paros Moraitis and the Estate Theodorakakos Mavroudi wines. I hope that I will be able to find them here in NYC.

We began our classes at Kea Artisanal for the week by taking a tour of Aglaia and Costas’ expansive gardens that surround their beautiful home and by learning about the abundant plants that live there. I was amazed at the different varieties they have growing and how they really survived “off the land” cooking with whatever vegetables and herbs were being harvested at the time. Maintaining a garden like this is quite a lot of work but Costas is really dedicated to it and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all of the plants they grow. I learned quite a lot and saw plants that I had never seen in person before.

He then showed us how to choose the grape vine leaves we would use to make Yalantzi Dolmas, grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs. We were to pick the tender green ones that were somewhat newer and thinner than the older, heartier ones. It turns out that they actually feel quite different from one another and the color is a bit lighter. We also picked fresh mint, fennel fonds, parsley and Purslane (a new herb for me!)

After the leaves were blanched for a minute, we combined all the ingredients for the filling and learned the technique for rolling them into perfect packages that wouldn’t unwrap while they were cooking.

We also hollowed out an assortment of vegetables that we filled with their sautéed pulps, rice and herbs and then roasted in the oven.

Of course everything had a healthy coating of olive oil. I honestly have never used so much olive oil in my life! Greeks consume more olive oil than any other nation in the world; I have seen numbers ranging from 20 to 40 liters per person annually! Whatever the number is, I am clearly not using enough at home! We were very lucky to use oil that Aglaia and Costas produced last season with their new press, a huge investment for them, but well worth it when the yield was so high in quality. I will have to try and find one of similar caliber in NY, but, buyer beware! Not all oils are created equally. Aglaia has a very good article on her blog about deodorized oils that should be read before you go out and buy olive oil.

While everything we prepared was cooking, Costas readied the kid that would be served at lunch and gathered the white wines we would taste throughout the meal.

We also had an opportunity to taste a black mackerel roe with lemon oil and some marinated octopus, neither of which I enjoyed too much but I am happy that I at least tried them. They are certainly acquired tastes!

When it was time for the meal, we all gathered around the table and enjoyed our long Mediterranean lunch that we helped to create. I think everything tasted ten times better than anything I had ever had before! I could have eaten the dolmas all by myself! Served warm they were phenomenal but a few days later, after they had been chilled and cooled and the flavors had time to develop, they were far superior to any of the canned versions I have had at home. I don’t think I will be able to eat the canned variety any longer!

We tried at least eight to ten different white wines throughout the course of the afternoon. Costas had given us a sheet of notes so that we could remember the ones we tried and hopefully be able to find back home. He explained each wine, their terroirs, their growing regions and of course the grapes themselves. By the end, we were filled to the brim and happy for a light dessert of cherries and mastic flavored ice cream. And then a long afternoon nap!

Our evening was free to explore the island and it’s many tavernas, but we were so full from our feast that just a scenic view and some light mezze filled the spot. I was invited to join my new friends from Maine and we spent the evening chatting, overlooking the port and watching the sun set.